Chimney cleaner



July 23, 1957 J. R. PUETT CHIMNEY CLEANER Filed April 30, 1954 I4 v r 7Fig.2

v INVENTOR.

0 BY flan-a Fig. 3

Joseph R. Fuel! Fig.

may:

United States Patent (Jh'lF/IINEY CLEANER Joseph R. Puett, Prairie City,Greg.

Application April 38, 1954, Serial No. 426,638

2 Claims. ((31. -243) This invention comprises novel and usefulimprovements in a chimney cleaner and more specifically pertains to adevice for cleaning chimneys by scraping the same.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved chimneycleaner which may be easily and readily manipulated by the householderfor effectively cleansing his chimneys.

A further object of the invention is to provide a chimney cleaner inconformity with the preceding object wherein the device may be readilyadjustable to effectively clean chimneys of different sizes.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an apparatus asset forth in the above mentioned objects, wherein a scraping andsweeping operation may be simultaneously effected if desired.

These, together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the chimney cleaner in accordancewith this invention, the same having a pair of cleaning elements adaptedto scrape both sides of a chimney;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view through a portion of a chimneyshowing the manner in which the apparatus of Figure 1 is operativelydisposed therein for scraping the walls of a chimney, and

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view of a chimney andshowing the manner in which the scraper of Figure 1 is operablyassociated therewith.

In the accompanying drawings, the novel chimney sweeper in accordancewith this invention consists of an H-frame indicated generally by thenumeral 10 and to which a handle 12 is secured having at its upper end aring 14 by which a cable or chain may be attached for verticallyreciprocating the device within a chimney indicated by the numeral 16 inFigures 2, 3, 5 and 6.

The H-frame comprises a pair of bars constituting elongated arms 18 and20 and which originally connect at their midportions by a cross bar 22.If desired, the arms and the cross bar may be of integral construction.The opposite ends of each arm are provided with elongated slots 24 bymeans of which cleaning elements as set forth hereinafter are adjnstablysecured to and mounted upon the H-frame for reciprocation therewith.

Referring now specifically to Figures 1-3, it will be seen that thecleaners may comprise an elongated body 26 adapted to extend across theadjacent ends of a pair of arms and to be adjustably secured thereto bymeans of bolts 28 which extend through the pair of slots 24 and into thebodies 26. By means of these bolts the bodies may be adjusted towardsand from each other upon the H-frame, whereby the cleaning elementscarried by the bodies may be adjusted to engage the opposite walls ofchimneys of different size.

The cleaner element disclosed is specifically adapted for the functionof scraping scale or other heavy deposits from the walls of the chimneyflue, and for yieldingly conforming to the contour of the flue to permiteasy passage of the cleaning device therethrough. For this purpose,there is provided a stiff spiral spring 30, constituting a resilientscraping element and which is adapted to engage against the walls of theflue as shown in Figure 2. This spring is resiliently and yieldinglysupported from the body by means of a plurality of coil springs, andpreferably there is provided a coil spring 32 at each end of the scraperspring 30 and the central stiffening supporting spring 34 intermediatethe ends of the spring 30. These coil springs 32, 34 are suitablymounted upon and carried by the body 26 in any desired manner.

It will thus be evident that the scraper 36 will be resiliently heldagainst the wall of the chimney flue in a manner which will permit thescraper to conform to irregularities in the flue and thus insure passageof the scraper therethrough, but which will cause the scraper to stifllyengage and effectively scrape and cleanse the wall of the flue. Byadjusting either of the cleaner elements, as by adjusting one of thebodies 26, the spacing between the scraping edges of the two elementsmay be varied to cause the same to compensate for different sizes ofchimneys. Alternately, of course, both cleaner elements may besimultaneously adjusted. It will thus be seen that the tool is readilyadjusted and varied to cause the same to accommodate itself mosteffectively to different sizes of flues.

The device especially lends itself to economical light weightconstruction, but is extremely durable, readily adjustable to fitdifferent sizes of chimneys and easily used by the householder.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will bereadily understood and further explanation is believed to beunnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction shown and described, andaccordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resortedto, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A chimney cleaning device comprising a horizontal H-shaped framehaving a pair of parallel coplanar side arms with a crossbar rigidlyjoined to their midportions, a pair of cross members traversing saidside arms at opposite sides of said crossbar and slidably connected tosaid side arms below the same for adjustment laterally along said sidearms, and a helical scraper spring extending from each opposite end ofeach cross member outwardly beyond said side arms, said springs havingcorresponding ends connected to said cross members and being free fromtheir connected ends outwardly for vertcial flexing, and a helicalscraper spring cross-connecting the outer ends of each pair of similarlyextending scraper springs with ends attached thereto and being free between its attached ends for flexing.

2. The combination of claim 1, and a helical spring extending from eachcross member to the corresponding cross-connecting spring and lyingbetween the similarly extending pair of helical springs with endsattached to the member and to the cross-connecting spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS213,472 Toyson Mar. 18, 1879 727,994 Olson May 12, 1903 1,329,596Harb-ort Feb. 3, 1920 1,500,886 Nelson July 8, 1924 1,770,338 Kohl July8, 1930 1,777,815 Weigant Oct. 7. 1930

